The MBRS Program of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), is submitting its renewal application consisting of 14 Associate Investigator Projects for a four-year period. UCSD is redirecting its MBRS Program focus through a joint management structure consisting of the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Affairs and Third College. The goal of the program is to increase the number of only those underrepresented minority students who have an expressed and committed desire to achieve the Ph.D. degree in the biomedical sciences. This goal will be achieved through the following objectives: a) To include a cadre of associate investigators (AIs) with strong extramural grant support and with a commitment to the goals of the MBRS Program. b) To link MBRS undergraduate and graduate students early on with the above AIs who will serve as undergraduate mentors and graduate advisors. c) To provide student participants with direct assistance in preparing for the GRE. d) To establish a follow-up database composed of UCSD-MBRS students, retrospectively and prospectively.